BUFFALO – Jhonas Enroth will start in goal for the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday against the New York Rangers as Ryan Miller deals with a sinus infection. Miller will serve as the backup.
It will be Enroth’s fourth start this season. He most recently got the nod on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils but left the game after cramping up late in the third period.
Miller had started 14 straight games before Thursday night.
Enroth is 0-2-0 this season with a 3.94 goals-against average and an .871 save percentage. He made 27 saves in New Jersey but had to be helped off the ice after allowing the game-tying goal with 1:06 left in regulation.
“We’d certainly like him to build off of that last game because I know that was one of the best games that I’ve seen him play since I’ve been in the organization,” Sabres interim coach Ron Rolston said of Enroth following the team’s optional morning skate.
After the Devils game, Enroth said he was going to stop drinking coffee on game days to avoid cramps in the future.
“We sealed the coffee lids,” Rolston said with a laugh.
It’s also the first game the Sabres and Rangers have played against each other since Patrick Kaleta was assessed a major penalty for checking Brad Richards into the boards from behind on March 3. Richards missed the next two games but has bounced back with two goals in his past two contests.
Tuesday, Kaleta will serve the fourth game of a five-game suspension for the hit.
“It’s none of my business. I’m worried about our team,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said about the hit after Tuesday’s morning skate.
Richards also declined to elaborate on the hit or what type of response, if any, there would be from his team.
“It’s over and done with, as far as I’m concerned,” Richards said. “The League took care of what they thought they could take care of. We’re here to win a hockey game.”
Richards said he’s happy to be back in the lineup and contributing to a team that’s winning games. Before scoring on March 8, he had been held without a goal since Jan. 26. The Rangers have won five of their past six games after a four-game stretch in which they collected one point.
“It was good. I didn’t know how I’d feel coming back. To get a goal and help and play with [Nash] and [Hagelin], it’s good to get right back into the fire like that,” Richards said.
Rolston was hopeful that center Tyler Ennis could return to the lineup Saturday against the Ottawa Senators while forward Ville Leino will have to wait some more time to make his season debut.
Ennis left Buffalo’s game Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers after being run into the boards by Wayne Simmonds. Leino continues to deal with a hip injury sustained in training camp.
The Rangers will go with the same lineup they fielded Sunday against the Washington Capitals, although Henrik Lundqvist will start in goal.
Here’s what the lineups for each team could look like:
SABRES
Thomas Vanek – Cody Hodgson – Jason Pominville
Nathan Gerbe – Jochen Hecht – Steve Ott
Marcus Foligno – Kevin Porter – Brian Flynn
John Scott – Mikhail Grigorenko – Drew Stafford
Christian Ehrhoff – Andrej Sekera
Scratched: TJ Brennan
Injured: Tyler Ennis (upper body), Ville Leino (hip), Alexander Sulzer (lower body)
Suspended: Patrick Kaleta
RANGERS
Carl Hagelin – Brad Richards – Rick Nash
Marion Gaborik – Derek Stepan – Ryan Callahan
Taylor Pyatt – J.T. Miller – Darroll Powe
Micheal Haley – Brian Boyle – Jeff Halpern
Michael Del Zotto – Anton Stralman
Scratched: Roman Hamrlik, Stu Bickel, Matt Gilroy
Injured: Aaron Asham (back), Michael Sauer (concussion), Marc Staal (upper body)
